How they ‘Make it Work’
There’s more sizzling behind the scenes at the restaurants of Eat Good Food Group (Restaurant Eve, The Majestic, Virtue Feed & Grain, Eamonn’s a Dublin Chipper, PX, and newly opened Society Fair) than delicious food. It must be something about the smell of roasting garlic or the sound of clinking wine glasses, but something seems to be in the air. From co-owners Chef Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong, Todd Thrasher and Maria Chicas, to Chef de Cuisine Jeremy Hoffman and manager Michelle Hoffman, the couples in the restaurant ‘family’ are very much in love. But just how do they keep the love strong amidst the stress of orders, reservations, holidays, and long hours?
Ground Rules for Working Together:
Chef Cathal and Meshelle Armstrong (Co-Owners)
Meshelle: “No one’s aloud to talk about anything [work related] on Sundays.”
Cathal: “She’s not allowed to torture me with anything having to do with work”
Meshelle: “That’s why, when Monday comes around, he gets an earful!”
Cathal: “She’s not allowed to torture me with anything having to do with work”
Meshelle: “That’s why, when Monday comes around, he gets an earful!”
Chef Jeremy and Michelle Hoffman (Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant Eve and Human Resources Manager for Eat Good Food Group)
Michelle: “Trying to keep the personal relationship aside. When we were both working at Restaurant Eve, I had to remember to call Jeremy ‘chef.’ I had to remember to act professionally with him at work. One day, on Jeremy’s first night manning the kitchen, I was captain of the Tasting Room and had to request a change of order for a vegetarian dining with us. It was the only time I let my guard down under the stress of the moment, and accidentally addressed my husband as ‘Jeremy’ and not ‘Chef’ in the kitchen.”
Mixologist Todd Thrasher and Maria Chicas (Co-Owners)
Maria: “We make an effort to make our time together count as quality time—even if it's a walk up King Street mid-day on our way to the bank. When at home, we email each other work stuff so we keep work out of our personal time.”
John Wabeck and Melissa Horst (Sommelier at Restaurant Eve and Beverage Manager at Virtue Feed & Grain)
Melissa: “The key for us, is that we have a mutual respect for each other's need for quietude, and can enjoy companionable silence. We spend so much of our daily grind interacting with guests and staff that often times we're plain talked out. It's refreshing to sit quietly, read the paper, and simply enjoy one
Now make your own Love story....
Restaurant Eve- 110 South Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.706.0450,
Who could ever resist ‘The Original Temptress’….EVE. Don’t let Restaurant Eve’s Saint Valentine Menu name fool you. Couples and others alike will surely find Chef Armstrong delicious Seven Course Menu quite naughty.
The Bistro 3 courses - $95 per person
Tasting room-7 courses $180 per person, with 2 selections in each course
Wine pairings-$99
If you are dining at Eve, make reservations to have a cocktail at PX first!
PX- 728 King Street, Alexandria, VA, 703.837.8633
….The Provocateur! Enjoy some of Mixologist master Todd Thrasher’s steamy libations with his Romantic Cocktail Tasting Menu for Two. Couples can get cozy and share a 5 course cocktail menu, guaranteed to get their love flowing
$65 Per Couple
